Open-end wrench with readily reengagable jaws



Sept- 18, 1956 c. J. HEIMARK 2,763,175

OPEN-END WRENCH WITH READILY REENGAGABLE JAws Filed Jan. 7, 1955 United States Patent Mice OPEN END WRENCH WITH READILY REENGAGABLE JAWS Clarence I. Heimark, Clarlield, Minn., assignor of onehalf to Charles D. Flett, "Clarkeld, Minn.

Application January 7, 1955, Serial No. 480,316 2 Claims. (Cl. gliel-163) This invention relates to wrenches and more specifically relates to wrenches for quickly taking a new grip on a nut after the same has been turned through an are.

Various types of wrenches Vhave been developed in recent years to permit rapid repositioning thereof on a nut. Many of these wrenches have had distinct disadvantages, such as the complicated nature of the wrench construction and the peculiar movements which must be given to the wrench to permit repositioning thereof on a nut. Some of these latter types of wrenches require that the wrench be shifted to move the nut further into the jaws and some require that the jaw be shifted to move the nut outward* ly of the jaws before the relative rotation between nut and wrench may be effectuated.

An object of my invention is to provide a wrench of extremely simple and inexpensive construe-tion and operation which is readily and easily repositioned on a nut to permit rapid turning of the nut even though the wrench may be turned only through a limited arc.

Another objectof my invention is lthe provision of an adjustable wrench which may lbe readily repositioned on a square nut jafter the nut and wrench have been turned through an arc, by merely turning the wrench in a direction counter to the normal direction of nut rotation.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation View of my Wrench shown in gripping relation on a nut wherein the nut may be turned;

Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation View of my wrench showing different positions thereof relative to the nut through which my wrench passes when being shifted to a new position on the nut; and

Fig. 3 is a detail section view of a portion of my wrench taken on a plane substantially at 3 3 of Fig. l.

The quick-action wrench which is readily and easily repositionable on a nut includes handle means which constitutes a frame element which is doubled back upon itself at the lower end thereof to form a handle for the wrench. A web 11 may be connected between the doubled back portions of the frame element 10 for rigidly reinforcing the same. One end portion 10a of frame 1G extends upwardly and has a short jaw or jaw member 12 formed in the upper end thereof. Jaw member 12 has a nut gripping surface 13 formed therein which extends transversely of the upper end portion 10a of frame 10. In the preferred form, gripping surface 13 extends through only a fraction of the length of the surface b-c of the square nut N. An elongated abutment surface 14 is formed along the inner side of the upper end portion 10a of frame element 10 and adjacent to the gripping surface 13 of jaw 12. Abutment surface 14, which is disposed at an angle with gripping surfacer13, will engage substantially the entire length of a surface a-b of nut N. An elongated adjustable jaw or jaw member 15 is mounted on frame 10 adjacent abutment surface 14 and 2,763,175 Patented Sept. 18, 1956 opposite the outer stationary jaw member 12. I aw member 15 may be formed integrally with threaded shank 16 which is threadably mounted in an internally threaded rotatable sleeve element 17. Sleeve 17 is also threadably mounted upon the threaded end portion 10b of frame element 10. The threads on the end portions of shank 16 and frame element 10b are arranged to cause shifting of jaw 15 toward and away from jaw 12 when sleeve 17 is rotated. Means are provided for restricting rotation and lateral shifting movement of shank 16 and jaw 15 relative to jaw 12 and frame element 10, and in the form shown, such means comprise a guiding tubular member 18 integrally joined to theinner end of jaw 15 and hav'- ing a substantially rectangular interior opening and being slidably mounted on a squared intermediate portion 10c of frame element 10.

l' aw 15 is substantially elongated with reference to jaw 12 and is provided with an elongated nut-engaging surface 19 which extends outwardly from abutment surface 14 of frame element 10 in the same general direction in which jaw 12 extends therefrom, but the nut-engaging surface 19 of jaw 15 is disposed at an acute angle with abutment surface 14 and with nutgripping surface 13 so as to be somewhat convergent with the said surface 13. In applying 4torque to the nut N, the outer nut-gripping portion of surface -19 will engage the surface a-d of the nut adjacent to corner d thereof so as to cooperate with jaw 12 and surface 13 thereof in engaging opposite surfaces of nut N adjacent the opposite corners thereof.

It will be apparent that the entire wrench should Ybe constructed of rigid material such as steel so as to permit a maximum of torque to `be applied through the jaw members to thenut.

When the Wrench is mounted on a nut, as shown in Fig. 1, the handle of the wrench will be turned in direction D to cause the jaw members 12 and L15 to urgethe nut N in its normal direction of rotation on a threaded stud S. When it is desired to shift the wrench so as to take a new grip on nut N with jaws 12 and 15, the wrench handle will be merely swung in a direction counter to the direction of arrow D, and in the direction of arrow E, as shown in Pig. 2. Only such reverse swinging of the wrench is necessary to shift the wrench into the full line position of Fig. 2 and into the dotted line position thereof. As the Wrench is swung in the direction of arrow E, jaw member 12 will slide along the surface b-c of nut N which had been gripped by jaw 12 in the previous torque applying cycle, until jaw 12 reaches corner c, after which jaw 12 will shift around said corner causing nut-gripping surface 13 to engage a fractional portion of surface c-d of nut N. Simultaneously with the shifting of jaw 12 along -the respective surface of the nut,v the abutment surface 14 will be shifted away from surface a-b of nut N and will slide along through at least a portion of its length on corner b of nut N, and jaw member 15 will slide along the surface a--d of nut N toward corner a and will subsequently pass around said corner to permit the outer end portion of nut-engaging surface 19 to engage and grip a segment of surface a-b of nut N adjacent corner a thereof. r[he wrench will thereupon be shifted into a new gripping position on nut N where the jaws 12 and 15 engage and grip different opposite corners thereof. During the swinging of the wrench relative to nut N, when the wrench is being repositioned thereon, corner a of the nut will swing downwardly at least into close proximity with surface 19 of jaw member 15 and because of the particular inclination of surface 19, cornerra of nut N may swing clear of said surface or may engage said surface as hereinbefore described, causing the surface to slide therearound. In addition, corner c of the nut N will eifectively shift relative to the Wrench in an upward direction from jaw 15, about a pivot point at the outer` end of nutgripping surface 113 of jaw 12.

It will be seen that I have provided a wrench of extremely simple and inexpensive construction which will firmly grip the nut during the torque-applying portion of the cycle of operation with several surfaces including -the several nut-gripping jaws of the wrench and including the abutment surface and which wrench is also readily and easily repositioned on the nut by merely swinging the wrench in a direction counter to the normal direction of nut rotation through an arc sufficient to bring the jaws of tne wrench to bear against new nut surfaces.

lt will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, detail, arrangement and propor tion of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention which consists of the matter described herein and set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A quick-action wrench for turning a square nut having adjacent and opposite surfaces and corners, comprising as essential elements, a stationary jaw and an adjustable jaw, a handle connected to said jaws for applying torque, one of said jaws being substantially shorter than the other of said jaws and having a gripping surface for engaging one of the surfaces of such a nut adjacent to one corner thereof, the other of said jaws having an elongated nut-engaging surface with a gripping portion disposed for engagement with the opposite surface of the nut relative to the surface engaged by said short gripping surface and adjacent the opposite corner thereof, said elongated nutengaging surface extending along the nut surface engaged thereby and at an acute angle with the gripping surface of said short jaw, adjusting means mounted on said handle for adjustably moving said adjustable jaw, whereby clockwise swinging of said wrench handle will turn the nut, and counterclockwise swinging will cause said jaws to move along the respective nut surfaces gripped thereby in the forward nut-turning cycle of operation until said jaws grip different nut surfaces.

2. A quick-action wrench for turning a square nut,

handle means including a frame having an abutment surface for engaging one surface of such a nut, a stationary jaw secured to said frame adjacent said abutment surface and extending less than one-half the length thereof, said stationary jaw having a gripping surface extending to said abutment surface for engaging a surface of the nut adjacent a corner thereof which lies contiguous with the abutment surface, an adjustable jaw mounted on said frame adjacent said abutment surface for adjustment toward and away from said stationary jaw, said adjustable jaw having an inclined nut-engaging surface disposed at acute angles with said abutment surface and with the gripping surface of said stationary jaw, said nut-engaging surface having an inner portion spaced opposite the stationary jaw and also having an outer nut-gripping portion for cooperating with the nut-gripping surface of said stationary jaw in gripping opposite surfaces of the nut adjacent opposite corners thereof, and means interposed between said frame and said adjustable jaw for adjustably moving said jaw, whereby when the wrench is merely turned counter to the normal direction of nut rotation, said jaws will slide along the respective nut surfaces gripped thereby until the jaws are brought to bear against new nut surfaces, whereupon the wrench will be turned in the normal direction of nut rotation to turn the nut.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 907,001 Brinser Dec. 15, 1908 1,114,549 Stornberg Oct. 20, 1914 1,308,440 Morrison July 1, 1919 1,419,659 Bettison June 13, 1922 1,898,388 Parker Feb. 21, 1933 1,954,141 Miquelon Apr. 10, 1934 2,592,781 Yavner Apr. 15, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,387 Great Britain of 1908 13,266 Great Britain Oct. 19, 1916 

